Pete

Both McCain and Obama agree with Bush's actions. Laughable really. Just shows you socialists and your opinions are left right out of the real world ... eh?

Tell me Pete who outside of themselves are China and India's biggest markets. How significant to that particular market are China and India?

Our most reliable and stable trading partners (Take particular note of the use of the plural)are: Who and are worth how much?

Has history shown us how sustainable are Command Economies?

Answer those questions and you'll enter a whole new world of understanding.

Rudd's an irrelevant egocentric fool.

Sorry Keith

I had to wait the statutory time before I could reply and then there was pizza with my wife amd some Mormon friends.

I have to admit that I am a selective socialist, pro Reagan, Thatcher pretty good, pro Australian nuclear weapons, share trading allows me to write.

If I'm a socialist its stretching the standard definition - more like a materialist with a too much curiosity.

Its all about reconising that money, Marx, economics, revenge or greed (shades of Gordon Gecko) make the world go round. Religion - Pell? Islam? official Christianity - nope, depends who's using the name of God/Allah in vain.

I would agree more with sincere Palestinians I've known than rich Saudis or others.

Turning to current problems - Bush's attempt to intervene in the US economy through pump-priming via the military/industrial complex has clearly failed. The product of such an expanding industry is death beyond America's shores. Whether that has been a valid security strategy only history (Yemen days ago, Pakistan today and AQ's next operation (Southeast Asia?) will tell).

Free market easy mortgages in the US during Bush's Presidency clearly needs serious state intervention.

Rudd realises there are no ideological purities - only mixes and compromises. That makes him a successful politician - like Howard. Compromise is what leadership is all about.

Rudd often thinks with an optimistic heart while I (a little person) start with basic motivations.

My current talking with Russians, Indians, Canadians and Americans (I dare say, monitored) continually throws up much material behind the accepted version of things.

I benefit from an information flow denied "real" professionals, while knocking back (and declaring) occasional odd foreign offers.

Regards

Pete

Pete,

You are no more socialist than I am.

In past years you've have been declared a liberal. And would have been proud to accept such a label.

With a little educated reading you'd quickly understand why.

Start with Plato 'The Apology', 'The Crito', and 'The Phaedo'.
Then go straight to J.S.Mill 'On Liberty', 'Representative Government' and 'Utilitarianism'.

Cheers.